Reading the Real Qur'an

Last Friday I was on the Sean Hannity Show, debating Muslim activist Michael Ghouse on the future of Libya.Debating Michael Ghouse is like shooting kuffar in a barrel. But Friday night, Ghouse presented me with an enormous Qur'an, courtesy of the Muslim Brotherhood-tied Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR): The Message of the Qur'an, Translated and Explained by Muhammad Asad. Giving out these giant door-stoppers is further proof of Hamas-linked CAIR's limitless resources.

Inside, Ghouse had written this inscription: "Quran has 25 translations. 2 are bad -- One by Christian Kings other by Muslims -- both to generate hate for the other. Quran is a book of Justice." On the show, Ghouse gave Hannity a copy of the same edition, repeating his claim about the two "wrong translations" and saying, "This is the right translation."

So this must be the book of peace from the religion of peace. Because Ghouse is all about peace. At his website, he says: "Welcome to my world, the world of Pluralism. If we can learn to accept the otherness of other and respect the God given uniqueness of each one of the seven billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge."

The only problem that Ghouse fails to address is there is no respect or acceptance of "the other" in Islam. "The others" are despised, denigrated, and dawah-ed to death. Under the sharia, nonbelievers are forced live under dhimmitude, a subjugated class status denied basic human rights.

According to Ghouse, it would seem that the things in the "bad" translations that are designed to "generate hate" must not be in this Qur'an. The one he gifted to Hannity and me promotes "the world of Pluralism." So I started reading. The first thing I noticed was that this translation uses "God" for Allah throughout, even as it shows on every page that the Allah of the Qur'an is not the G-d of the Jews or of the Christians. Hmmmm.

I found plenty of pluralism. I found Allah saying to the Jews, who "profaned the Sabbath," "Be as apes despicable!" (2:65). And saying to the Muslims that they should "fight in God's cause against those who wage war against you, and do not commit aggression, for, verily, God does not love aggressors. And slay them wherever you find them" (2:190-191). Don't commit aggression, but slay them wherever you find them. Right.

I kept reading. "And as for those women whose ill-will you have reason to fear, admonish them [first]; then leave them alone in bed; then beat them" (4:34; the bracketed word is in the book in this and all other quotes). I sure am glad I am finally reading the right translation.

The pluralism and peace don't end there. I learned that God has "disowned" the "hypocrites" -- that is, people who pretend to be Muslim but aren't really, or who were once Muslim but leave the religion. It says that if they "revert to [open] enmity," the Muslims should "seize them and slay them wherever you may find them" (4:89). So now Muslims are supposed to beat "women whose ill-will" they "have reason to fear," and kill those who wage war against them, and hypocrites who are in open enmity against them, wherever they find them. And we're only on page 139 (out of 1,164 pages). They're not told to try to talk things out, or turn the other cheek, or work to make peace even while defending themselves. Muslims are supposed to fight against those who have "denied the truth" until "there is no more oppression and all worship is devoted to God alone" (8:39). So now Muslims have to fight unbelievers until everyone worships only Allah.

But still I kept on reading, looking for that pluralism. And I found out that "the Jews say, 'God's hand is shackled!' It is their own hands that are shackled; and rejected [by God] are they because of this their assertion" (5:64). I also learned that "the Jews say, 'Ezra is God's son,'" which will come as news to us Jews, and then Allah says, "May God destroy them!" (9:30) Isn't the one speaking in the Qur'an supposed to be Allah alone, and Allah is supposed to be the only G-d? So whom is he asking to destroy the Jews?

Anyway, not only does this "right translation" ask G-d to destroy the Jews, but also tells Muslims to do it themselves: "fight against those who -- despite having been vouchsafed revelation [aforetime] -- do not [truly] believe either in God or the Last Day, and do not consider forbidden that which God and His Apostle have forbidden, and do not follow the religion of truth [which God has enjoined upon them], till they [agree to] pay the exemption tax with a willing hand, after having been humbled [in war]" (9:29).

Those who have been "vouchsafed revelation aforetime" are the Jews and Christians. The "Apostle" is Muhammad." So Muslims must fight Jews and Christians until they have been "humbled" and pay a special tax.

By that point I was so overwhelmed with all the pluralism and peace that I had to put Mike Ghouse's generous gift aside. But not to worry -- no longer do I struggle with keeping that heavy basement door open. Problem solved.

Last Friday I was on the Sean Hannity Show, debating Muslim activist Michael Ghouse on the future of Libya.

Debating Michael Ghouse is like shooting kuffar in a barrel. But Friday night, Ghouse presented me with an enormous Qur'an, courtesy of the Muslim Brotherhood-tied Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR): The Message of the Qur'an, Translated and Explained by Muhammad Asad. Giving out these giant door-stoppers is further proof of Hamas-linked CAIR's limitless resources.

Inside, Ghouse had written this inscription: "Quran has 25 translations. 2 are bad -- One by Christian Kings other by Muslims -- both to generate hate for the other. Quran is a book of Justice." On the show, Ghouse gave Hannity a copy of the same edition, repeating his claim about the two "wrong translations" and saying, "This is the right translation."

So this must be the book of peace from the religion of peace. Because Ghouse is all about peace. At his website, he says: "Welcome to my world, the world of Pluralism. If we can learn to accept the otherness of other and respect the God given uniqueness of each one of the seven billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge."

The only problem that Ghouse fails to address is there is no respect or acceptance of "the other" in Islam. "The others" are despised, denigrated, and dawah-ed to death. Under the sharia, nonbelievers are forced live under dhimmitude, a subjugated class status denied basic human rights.

According to Ghouse, it would seem that the things in the "bad" translations that are designed to "generate hate" must not be in this Qur'an. The one he gifted to Hannity and me promotes "the world of Pluralism." So I started reading. The first thing I noticed was that this translation uses "God" for Allah throughout, even as it shows on every page that the Allah of the Qur'an is not the G-d of the Jews or of the Christians. Hmmmm.

I found plenty of pluralism. I found Allah saying to the Jews, who "profaned the Sabbath," "Be as apes despicable!" (2:65). And saying to the Muslims that they should "fight in God's cause against those who wage war against you, and do not commit aggression, for, verily, God does not love aggressors. And slay them wherever you find them" (2:190-191). Don't commit aggression, but slay them wherever you find them. Right.

I kept reading. "And as for those women whose ill-will you have reason to fear, admonish them [first]; then leave them alone in bed; then beat them" (4:34; the bracketed word is in the book in this and all other quotes). I sure am glad I am finally reading the right translation.

The pluralism and peace don't end there. I learned that God has "disowned" the "hypocrites" -- that is, people who pretend to be Muslim but aren't really, or who were once Muslim but leave the religion. It says that if they "revert to [open] enmity," the Muslims should "seize them and slay them wherever you may find them" (4:89). So now Muslims are supposed to beat "women whose ill-will" they "have reason to fear," and kill those who wage war against them, and hypocrites who are in open enmity against them, wherever they find them. And we're only on page 139 (out of 1,164 pages). They're not told to try to talk things out, or turn the other cheek, or work to make peace even while defending themselves. Muslims are supposed to fight against those who have "denied the truth" until "there is no more oppression and all worship is devoted to God alone" (8:39). So now Muslims have to fight unbelievers until everyone worships only Allah.

But still I kept on reading, looking for that pluralism. And I found out that "the Jews say, 'God's hand is shackled!' It is their own hands that are shackled; and rejected [by God] are they because of this their assertion" (5:64). I also learned that "the Jews say, 'Ezra is God's son,'" which will come as news to us Jews, and then Allah says, "May God destroy them!" (9:30) Isn't the one speaking in the Qur'an supposed to be Allah alone, and Allah is supposed to be the only G-d? So whom is he asking to destroy the Jews?

Anyway, not only does this "right translation" ask G-d to destroy the Jews, but also tells Muslims to do it themselves: "fight against those who -- despite having been vouchsafed revelation [aforetime] -- do not [truly] believe either in God or the Last Day, and do not consider forbidden that which God and His Apostle have forbidden, and do not follow the religion of truth [which God has enjoined upon them], till they [agree to] pay the exemption tax with a willing hand, after having been humbled [in war]" (9:29).

Those who have been "vouchsafed revelation aforetime" are the Jews and Christians. The "Apostle" is Muhammad." So Muslims must fight Jews and Christians until they have been "humbled" and pay a special tax.

By that point I was so overwhelmed with all the pluralism and peace that I had to put Mike Ghouse's generous gift aside. But not to worry -- no longer do I struggle with keeping that heavy basement door open. Problem solved.